THANK YOU
The Faith in Action Award recognises young people's service to God, the Church and others and gives the Church community the chance to say thank you to young people, thus encouraging them to do more.
FLEXIBILITY
The Faith in Action Award recognises the diversity of the Church in England and Wales. The administration and delivery of the Faith in Action Award can be adapted to complement existing structures, as long as the mandatory requirements are met.
ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE
The Faith in Action Award is accessible to and inclusive of all. It's open to young people from ages 10 - 18, Y6 - Y13, of any academic ability and from any faith background. Just as The Good News is for the whole human family, it is appropriate that the Faith in Action Award and its benefits are open to people of all Christian denominations and those who interact with the life of the Catholic Church either by attending a Catholic School or Parish community.
CREDIBILITY AND INTEGRITY
The Faith in Action Award is not designed to be a test. It is important that the scheme should be appropriately challenging to all participants without ever failing to encourage. The challenging aspect should be presented as a call into exploration, relationship and a response to the 'big questions of life'. This balance, which should be a key priority for catechists and leaders, gives the scheme its credibility and integrity.
RELATIVE
The Faith in Action Award recognises that achievement is relative to each young person. An activity worth one credit of service for one young person might be two credits for someone else because of the personal challenges faced by each individual. For example, reading at Mass for a young person who struggles with shyness or self-image may be a much bigger achievement than the same exercise undertaken by a young person who does not struggle with those issues. The Faith in Action Award entrusts the Award Leader, who knows the young people, to award credits relatively at their discretion, whilst ensuring they are being fair to all participants.
RAISING ASPIRATION
By acknowledging the good work young people are doing and through the process of reflection using the teachings of the Church, the Faith in Action Award allows young people to recognise the good work they are doing themselves, encouraging them to do more and thus raises aspiration.
HOME AND AWAY BASE
The Faith in Action Award encourages young people to engage in faith activity both in their 'home base', be that at school or in the parish, and in the wider community, their 'away base'. Working in the away base should encourage missionary discipleship. Therefore, it will naturally be work that appropriately challenges the participant to move out of their emotional and physical comfort zone.